The following is a synopsis of information provided by the licensee via phone call:
A vendor was contracted to remove and dispose of outdated medical equipment. The licensee understood that the sources, 114 millicuries total of Gadolinium-153, had been removed from the equipment prior to its removal from the hospital on March 7, 2023. Upon realizing the sources had not been removed, the licensee contacted the vendor. The truck containing the removed equipment was located in Ohio. It is parked and secured in a warehouse. Arrangements were made to maintain a conservative exclusion zone. There is no indication that the sealed sources are damaged. It is believed the sources are safe and locked in the retracted position, but that has not been confirmed. Surface measurements on a similar unit at the licensee show 0.7 mR/hr at the surface.
The licensee has made arrangements for the truck to remain at its current location until the sources are retrieved. The retrieval is planned for March 9, 2023.
- * * UPDATE ON 03/10/2022 AT 1512 EST FROM THE MICHELLE KRITZMAN TO IAN HOWARD * * *
The following is a synopsis of information provided by the licensee via phone call:
At 1505 EST on 3/10/2023, the licensee received a notification that the sources were retrieved. The sources were in a safe and locked position and there was no indication of tampering with the sources. There was no additional exposure to the public or employees.
Notified: R3DO (Ruiz). Notified via email: NMSS Event Notification, ILTAB, and Canada.
THIS MATERIAL EVENT CONTAINS A 'Less than Cat 3' LEVEL OF RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL
Sources that are "Less than
IAEA Category 3 sources," are either sources that are very unlikely to cause permanent injury to individuals or contain a very small amount of radioactive material that would not cause any permanent injury. Some of these sources, such as
moisture density gauges or thickness
gauges that are Category 4, the amount of unshielded radioactive material, if not safely managed or securely protected, could possibly - although it is unlikely - temporarily injure someone who handled it or were otherwise in contact with it, or who were close to it for a period of many weeks. For additional information go to
http://www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/publications/PDF/Pub1227_web.pdf